ROSES 2011 Near Earth Object Observations | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is this funding opportunity?

This opportunity is the NASA ROSES 2011 Near Earth Object Observations (NEOO) element, issued by NASA Headquarters under the broader Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2011 NASA Research Announcement (NRA). The Funding Opportunity Number is NNH11ZDA001N.

2) How does Near Earth Object Observations (NEOO) relate to ROSES 2011?

NEOO is one program element inside the much larger annual ROSES 2011 umbrella. ROSES spans research and technology activities across NASA Science Mission Directorate programs, including Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Astrophysics. NEOO is the element within ROSES most closely associated with observing and characterizing near-Earth objects in alignment with NASA planetary defense and planetary science objectives.

3) Where was the solicitation posted and how do applicants access it?

The solicitation was made available through NASA's NSPIRES portal (nspires.nasaprs.com) under the Open Solicitations area. A related record also appeared on Grants.gov for a time-bounded listing associated with the opportunity.

4) When was the solicitation released?

The ROSES 2011 solicitation was released around February 18, 2011. The Grants.gov record referenced in the provided information was posted on March 18, 2011.

5) What kinds of activities does ROSES 2011 fund (in general)?

ROSES 2011 invited proposals for a wide range of basic and applied research and enabling technology that support NASA science, including:

• Theory, modeling, and analysis of NASA science data
• Development and use of aircraft, balloon, sounding rocket, and commercial suborbital platforms
• Advancing experimental techniques relevant to future space missions
• Early concept development for new missions
• Development of new technologies relevant to Science Mission Directorate missions
• Laboratory and analytical work tied to extraterrestrial samples returned by spacecraft
• Use of terrestrial samples to validate or interpret NASA Earth observations
• Improving fundamental atomic or compositional parameters needed to analyze mission data
• Earth science field campaigns, integrated Earth system modeling, and applied information systems that translate NASA research data into decision-support uses

6) What kinds of activities would be expected under the Near Earth Object Observations (NEOO) element?

Based on the provided description, NEOO would be expected to focus on observing, characterizing, and improving understanding of near-Earth objects in ways that align with NASA planetary defense and planetary science objectives. The exact technical topics and requirements are defined in the relevant ROSES appendix for the NEOO element.

7) Where do I find the specific technical requirements and topic areas for NEOO?

Program-element-specific details (including technical topics, requirements, and evaluation considerations) are located in the ROSES appendices. The solicitation indicates that applicants should consult the appendix for the NEOO element and the appendix summary for program officer information.

8) What are the key submission milestones and due dates?

ROSES 2011 used a rolling schedule of due dates across many program elements:

• Notices of Intent (NOIs) were requested for most elements, with due dates beginning March 18, 2011 and continuing through February 8, 2012 (depending on the element).
• Full proposals were due beginning April 29, 2011 and continuing through April 30, 2012 (depending on the element).

9) What were the specific dates shown in the Grants.gov record referenced in the information?

For the specific Grants.gov record described:

• Posted date: March 18, 2011
• Original and current closing date: June 10, 2011
• Archive date: July 10, 2011

These dates reflect that particular listing, even though other ROSES elements had later due dates under the broader ROSES umbrella.

10) How much funding is available and what size awards are typical?

Funding levels and award size were designed to be flexible. Typical awards ranged from under $100,000 per year for narrowly focused work (such as data analysis) to over $1,000,000 per year for large, complex activities (such as building science experiment hardware). NASA indicated that available funds per program element ranged from less than $1 million to several million dollars.

11) How many awards might be made?

The number of selections could vary widely by program element and available funds, generally ranging from a handful to several dozen selections. The final number depended on program goals as well as the quality and quantity of proposals received.

12) What is the expected project period for awards?

Most awards were expected to run about four years. Some shorter or longer periods were allowed, up to a maximum of five years.

13) Who is eligible to apply?

ROSES 2011 allowed a broad pool of applicants. Organizations of essentially every type could propose, including U.S. or non-U.S., government or private, for-profit or nonprofit entities.

14) Are there limits on the number of proposals an organization can submit?

No restrictions were stated on the number of submissions or on teaming arrangements in the information provided.

15) Can non-U.S. organizations apply and receive NASA funds directly?

The information notes that NASA policy generally limits the direct exchange of funds with non-U.S. organizations. International participation typically needed to be proposed on a no-exchange-of-funds basis unless a specific jointly issued NRA stated otherwise. Additional guidance for non-U.S. proposals is referenced in the NASA NRA Guidebook for Proposers.

16) What registration is required to submit?

Proposals had to be submitted electronically and required advance registration. Proposers must be affiliated with an institution registered in NSPIRES. In addition, all principal investigators and other participants (including co-investigators) needed to be registered in NSPIRES.

17) Who must submit the proposal?

The proposal had to be submitted by an authorized organizational representative.

18) Can proposals be submitted through Grants.gov instead of NSPIRES?

Applicants could submit through NSPIRES or through Grants.gov, but Grants.gov submission still required NSPIRES registration.

19) Where are the official due dates by program element listed?

The solicitation indicates that due dates vary by appendix element and are provided in ROSES tables that list due dates across the various program elements.

20) How will applicants know if NASA issues updates or changes to ROSES 2011?

Applicants were advised to monitor NSPIRES and the ROSES amendment archive for updates through February 2012.

21) Who is the main point of contact for general ROSES policies and procedures?

The announcement provided a central contact for general ROSES policies and procedures: Dr. Max Bernstein, Lead for Research within NASA's Science Mission Directorate, reachable via sara@nasa.gov and the listed phone number in the solicitation.

22) Who should be contacted for questions specific to the Near Earth Object Observations element?

For questions specific to the NEOO element, the solicitation directed proposers to consult the individual program officers identified in the relevant ROSES appendix summary for that program element.

23) What is NSPIRES and why is it important for this opportunity?

NSPIRES is NASA's portal used to access open solicitations and to manage registrations and submissions. The opportunity was made available through NSPIRES, and NSPIRES registration was required even if a proposal was submitted through Grants.gov.

24) Why does the opportunity show different dates in different places (ROSES rolling due dates vs. a single Grants.gov closing date)?

The ROSES umbrella covers many program elements with different due dates across the year. The specific Grants.gov record referenced in the information was time-bounded (closing June 10, 2011 and archived July 10, 2011), even though other elements under ROSES had later NOI and proposal due dates extending into 2012.